Showing posts with label book blitz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book blitz. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
-about i am alive-
Published: 5.23.12
Pages: 267
Every girl dies - not every girl really lives. Sixteen-year-old Decca Tenderstone feels captivated when she meets gorgeous and reckless Leo, who is arrogant, silent, beautiful, and shoots almost every one he meets.WHOA. Stop right there. Doesn't this book sounds freaking amazing?! Um YESSSS! It does!
The usual boring girl meets badboy story... hmm... with a twist ...
They live in a dystopian future in Los Angeles where every sixteen-year-old is ranked on a scale from one to ten to determine their future. Outranks, who are considered a danger to society, are forced to attend the Monster Show, a brutal sacrificing ritual that is broadcasted worldwide on live TV, where rebellious teens are labelled Bad Kidz or Monsters and get to fight for their lives in deadly games.
To prove that you're still alive you have to scream I Am Alive every six hours. Lower your voice, and you're dead. Deccaa doesn't need Leo's company. She has a secret of her own. While they both can't stand each other, she will find out why she doesn't fit into any rank. Nothing will stand in her way as she has to make choices concerning love, life, staying alive, growing up, and finding out who she really is.
Cameron has asked me to share his latest cover for the book. It was recently done and has more of a gritty feel to it. Are you ready?....................-the new cover-
Isn't that a neat cover? It's got a very different feel to it. Honestly, I very much prefer the old cover. The colors and fonts look so cool and fit so well. But I do like this new cover! Totally a new side of the story.
-about his other series-
Snow White Sorrow
by Cameron Jace
Release Date: 2.2013
Sixteen year old Loki Blackstar is no Prince Charming. His mother is a ghost. His only friend is a red Cadillac that talks to him through the radio. He looks like an Angel but acts like jerk. No wonder he has been banned from Heaven, which is the least of his troubles. Loki needs a job to pay for school and support himself.
Still, Loki has a rare gift: He is a Dreamhunter. One of the few in the world who can hunt and kill immortal demons in their dreams so they never wake up again. When Loki is sent to kill a sixteen-year-old vampire girl the locals call Snow White Sorrow, he is pulled into a magical but dangerous world. The locals believe the monster to be Snow White.
The real Snow White... living in the ruins of an ancient castle in a small town. She is described as horribly beautiful, terrifyingly enchanting, and wickedly lovely.What he finds instead is a beautiful monster girl filled with rage and hurt, who has an epic untold story to tell of things such like why the Brothers Grimm altered the fairy tale, who the Evil Queen really is, where the mirror came from, and who possessed it. Snow White has killed every person who has dared come near the castle where she once lived with the queen. Mysteriously, she lets Loki live, and whispers two words in his ears; two words that will change his life forever.
Snow White Sorrow is the first book in a new series by him that takes fairytales and twists them around. The books is prequeled by the GRIMM DIARIES which can be found for a VERYcheap price on AMAZON!
-about cameron jace-
Wonderlander, Neverlander, Unicorn-chaser, enchanter, musician, survived a coma, & totally awesome. Sometimes I tell stories. Always luv the little monsters. I write young adult paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and science fiction mostly. The Grimm Diaries series is a seven book saga that deals with retellings of fairy tales from a young adult POV - it connects most of the fairy tales together and claims to be the truth about fairy tales. I live in San Francisco and seriously think circles are way cooler than triangles.
I've got some super cool snippits from this snazzy book for you! The first comes from the beginning in Chapter one, and the second from the middle of the book in Chapter 22. Enjoy!-snippits of i am alive-
I am going to surprise you. You have no idea…Every time the bus hits a patch of uneven pavement, it jostles me from side to side. I am holding on to the overhead railing while on my tiptoes, trying my best to keep my balance. Faustina, the school’s queen bee, laughs at me, checking out her fingernails. She must be calling me a dork under her breath. She is predicted to become a Nine today, and Nines are always mean to me.I live in a world where every teen is ranked on a scale from five to nine. Nines are the luckiest and highest rank in our nation, and Fives are the lowest rank allowed. I’ve been told that I would make a perfect Seven.The bus stops in front of my school, Cubberley High. I wait for the Nines and Eights to get out first. Nines are usually the most beautiful. Eights are the most elegant. Predicted Sevens like me have to wait in line. At least I get to get up before the Sixes and the Fives.
I am not my heart rate. I am not my skills. I am not my sleeping problems. I am not my stress. I am not my fears. I am not how I look like. I am the very essence of me. I am my will. I am my passion. I am my beliefs. I am how much I can give and receive love. I am infinite and possible. I am my soul. How can the iAm ever measure this?So whatcha think? Are you intrigued? Totally excited to get your hands on the book?
Most important of all, I am not that predictable.
Cameron was totally awesome and gave me some COOL tidbits that I'm excited to share with you!-NOTE FROM AUTHOR-
- The book was published as a serial with the following names and links:
Episode 1: Nice Day to Die
Episode 2: Wheel of Fortune
Episode 3: Through Your Eyes
- The book was later professionally edited into the great version that it is now! You can read the reviews on it HERE.
- Later on, Jace actually composed a SONG for the book! Isn't that cool?! And guess what? You have an uber-awesome chance at winning it below!
Cameron has been super generous and has a few MEGA SWEET deals up for grabs today! For one, remember that cool song I mentioned about 5 sentences ago? Well, you can not only win that, but if you'd rather not take a chance, EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWS JACE'S FACEBOOK PAGE and COMMENTS ON HIS WALL that they want it, CAN HAVE THE SONG. Plus the winner of the giveaway!-i have a special giveaway-
Uh, Say EPIC! You know you want, so go Comment and Follow away! Meanwhile, you can also enter to win complete e-sets of his GRIMM DIARIES and the I AM ALIVE trilogy! It's a pretty sweet deal! and you DON'T WANT TO MISS! Giveaways ends 1.16 at 12 am EST.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you're found something totally eye-catching! Thanks to Giselle at XPRESSO BOOK TOURS and Cameron for setting this up!
Sooo that was one MEGA EPIC blast wouldn't you say! I'm totally pumped to read these books! How about you? Are you excited to get your hands on the books?! Happy Wednesday! XOXO,
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Friday, December 14, 2012
Hey! It's the 12 Days of Magic with the Spellbound trilogy by Nikki Jefford! Brought to you by Xpresso Book Tours! I'm blitzing the love here on Day 5...you know Gold Rings and alll...well not really. More like witches. :D But still just as awesome...SO onto blitzing!
~THE TRILOGY~
Entangled by Nikki JeffordPublished: 2.20.12
Pages: 303
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Goodread
Two months after dying, seventeen-year-old witch Graylee Perez wakes up in her twin sister Charlene’s body. Until Gray finds a way back inside her own body, she’s stuck being Charlene every twenty-hour hours. Her sister has left precise instructions on how Gray should dress and behave. Looking like a prep isn’t half as bad as hanging out with Charlene’s snotty friends and gropey boyfriend. The “normals” of McKinley High might be quick to write her behavior off as post-traumatic stress, but warlock Raj McKenna is the only person who suspects Gray has returned from the dead.Now Gray has to solve the mystery of her death and resurrection and disentangle herself from Charlene’s body before she disappears for good.
Duplicity #2
Published: 5.20.12
Pages: 280
If Graylee Perez thought sharing a body with her twin sister was bad, dealing with a duplicate of herself is two times worse. Gray the second doesn’t seem to get that Lee’s boyfriend, Raj McKenna, is off limits. Then there’s the problem of Adrian Montez. He expects one of the Grays to be his. Nearly a year later, the council is onto them for past misdeeds; Lee, along with the rest of the coven, has lost control of her powers; and Gray is being stalked by what looks like the Grim Reaper. If they work together, they may stand a chance of setting things right and making it out alive.
Enchantment #3In the third and final installment of the Spellbound series, Graylee Perez (the duplicate), goes to Spain for a summer of escape. There she meets new friends and comes face to face with her old adversary, Adrian Montez. When Gray tries to setup a spell that will banish Adrian from her life, she inadvertently falls under a love spell instead.Charlene returns, having hijacked a new body, for one final battle between the twins.
~WATCH THE TRAILERS~
~ENCHANTMENT EXCERPT~
IN THIS SCENE: Adrian’s grandmother returns in book three, accompanying him on his magic tour in Europe.
“This food no good.”
Adrian’s Nan glared down at the plate of paella the waiter had set before her.
They were seated at an antique marble table attached to legs made of curly cast-iron supports. It was only noon, which made Adrian and his Nan the first lunch customers of the day. The Spaniards wouldn’t be out for their mid-day meal till closer to two.
Adrian was already three bites into his dish. “There’s nothing wrong with the food, Nan.”
“Food better in Paris.”
“Spanish food is fine. You just miss the pastries.”
“What wrong with pastries?”
Adrian grinned. “Come on, you have to admit it’s good to get out of the apartment.”
Nan scowled in answer.
His Nan had barely stepped foot outside since arriving in Barcelona two weeks prior.
“Why we come to Spain?”
“I told you. I had an opportunity to perform.”
“Perform!” Nan spat on the ground then tossed up her arms. “You perform plenty in Paris. I know why we come to Spain. The girl.”
Nan missed the look of warning on Adrian’s face.
“You almost kill yourself for this girl and still I no meet.”
“I did not almost kill myself for her. It doesn’t matter, anyway. She hates me.” She probably hated him even more after last night. It was of little consequence. Adrian had not expected to see Graylee Perez again, at least not this soon. Her mother had forbidden it. He smirked at the thought. No one forbade Adrian Montez anything.
Nan huffed. “Love. Hate. Doesn’t matter. You powerful warlock. Make girl love you.”
Adrian wasn’t above manipulation or the use of magic to get what he wanted, but in this instance the mere thought of it made him physically recoil. “I am Adrian Hedrick Montez. I will have a woman’s sincere love or I won’t have it at all.”
Nan huffed again.
Adrian smiled slowly. “Besides, I already have the love of a good woman.”
Nan came the closest to a giggle as Adrian had ever heard. Her lips puckered into a brief smile and she actually took a bite of her food. But as soon as she’d swallowed, she leaned forward and asked, “When we return to Paris?”
It was like dealing with a four-year-old.
Ooooo-la-la!!! This looks hilariously epic! Woot! I want to read NOW.
Nikki has shared her playlists for the books with us blitzers so I decided to spotlight the playlist for Duplicity. Ready to see what she's got?~THE DUPLICITY PLAYLIST~
Within You and As The World Falls Down
by David Bowie from Labyrinth
Adrian’s obsession with Gray reminds me of the Goblin King’s fixation on Sarah. At the end of book one Adrian risks his own life to ensure she doesn’t disappear. In book two his feelings intensify, but are harshly rejected. Sorry, Adrian, you have no power over Gray.
Bad Romance
by Lady Gaga
The confusion spell Gray puts over Adrian requires her to speak gibberish the entire time. She starts singing “Rah, rah, ah, ah, ah; Roma, roma, ma; Gaga, ooh, la, la,” then accidentaly bursts into the Bad Romance lyrics.~THE TRILOGY~
The prizes:~THE GIVEAWAY~
-Signed Entangled Paperback,
-A box of peppermint chocolate Polar Bear Smooches,
-12 eBook Winners: choice of book 1, book 2, or voucher for book 3 when it releases
a Rafflecopter giveawayThat's if for this part of the blitz. Don't miss the other blogs featuring the book for more cool excerpts and playlists...plus more giveaways! Thanks to the amazing Giselle for putting this together. I hope you've enjoyed!
So, thoughts? Comments? Questions? Happy Friday, XX,
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
-About the Book-
Snow White Sorrow
by Cameron Jace
Release Date: 2.2013
ADD TO GOODREADS Sixteen year old Loki Blackstar is no Prince Charming. His mother is a ghost. His only friend is a red Cadillac that talks to him through the radio. He looks like an Angel but acts like jerk. No wonder he has been banned from Heaven, which is the least of his troubles. Loki needs a job to pay for school and support himself.
Still, Loki has a rare gift: He is a Dreamhunter. One of the few in the world who can hunt and kill immortal demons in their dreams so they never wake up again. When Loki is sent to kill a sixteen-year-old vampire girl the locals call Snow White Sorrow, he is pulled into a magical but dangerous world. The locals believe the monster to be Snow White.
The real Snow White... living in the ruins of an ancient castle in a small town. She is described as horribly beautiful, terrifyingly enchanting, and wickedly lovely.What he finds instead is a beautiful monster girl filled with rage and hurt, who has an epic untold story to tell of things such like why the Brothers Grimm altered the fairy tale, who the Evil Queen really is, where the mirror came from, and who possessed it. Snow White has killed every person who has dared come near the castle where she once lived with the queen. Mysteriously, she lets Loki live, and whispers two words in his ears; two words that will change his life forever.
HOLY COW. That sounds like one EPIC book. I can't wait to get my hands on it!
-About The Author-
Wonderlander, Neverlander, Unicorn-chaser, enchanter, musician, survived a coma, & totally awesome. Sometimes I tell stories. Always luv the little monsters. I write young adult paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and science fiction mostly. The Grimm Diaries series is a seven book saga that deals with retellings of fairy tales from a young adult POV - it connects most of the fairy tales together and claims to be the truth about fairy tales. I live in San Fransisco and seriously think circles are way cooler than triangles.Cameron also has a 6-book novella series that prequel the Snow White Sorrow series. Totally awesome!-The Grimm Diary Prequels-
The above covers are all linked to Goodreads. Don't they look creepy and awesome? Twisted fairy-tales are always amazing. And guess what! There is an AWESOME deal for you...
DEAL ENDS 12.13 so get them quickly!
Dear Wilhelm Carl Grimm,-Excerpt From 'Snow White Blood Red'-
She is not that giddy, naïve, and helpless princess she pretends to be. Please don’t let her fool you with her innocence if you see her sing to the birds in the forest. Resist her charm from bringing joyful tears to your eyes, and shield yourself from her devious beauty before she deceives you into wanting to kiss her awake. It'll be a kiss of death. Your death. That’s how she fooled the Huntsman, Prince Charming, and me, her birth mother.
I still remember the original script of the fairy tale, the one you wrote in 1812. It clearly stated that she was my own flesh and blood daughter. I don’t have the slightest idea why you altered it fifty years later. What was the point of turning me into an evil, narcissistic, and heartless stepmother, blinded by jealousy and envy of the young princess?
For years, I have been looking forward to telling you the truth about her, but you were impossible to reach. I am glad I found your brother, Jacob. He told me that you wanted to tone the stories down so children could sleep better at night, instead of having nightmares about the Queen who sought to eat her daughter’s heart and liver. Shame on you, Wilhelm.
You, of all authors, knew why I wanted to kill her. My actions were justified. I was trying to save my kingdom from her wrath, before everything we loved was destined to an end. The same way you had to rewrite the true fairytales after cursing us, so the War of Sorrows would end forever after. Night after night, and year after year, parents fed their children false bedtime stories, until your lies grew into inescapable memories. Your happily ever after lies, Wilhelm, shaped the so called fairy tale world.
I wondered why you didn’t burn the original scripts, instead of rewriting them. You must have figured out that sooner or later someone would dig up the truth and expose you. Altering it was the smarter solution. You let children believe that the bites were resurrecting kisses, and that torturing glass coffins were made for sleeping beauties, waiting for a prince to come and kiss them awake.
A wise man once said that the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he was someone else. You did the same with us, Wilhelm. You turned us into pastiches of the immortals that we really are, and made it harder for us if wanted to persuade the world otherwise.
I know that you did it to save us from her. And I appreciate how you concealed our real names, or we would have ended up like Rumpelstiltskin, tortured by those who knew of his real name. But sometimes, I can’t help but wonder why no one ever questioned why I was called the Evil Queen, and why I was never given a real name in the books.
Was I so superficial to the world, so stereotypical and mundane? Why was I treated as if I were the monster of the week? You know what I think? I think that the world never got the time to hate me. It just wanted to hate me long before it met me.
If I tell those who detest me about the true nature of their little princess, would they ever care about me half as much as they care about her? I know that deep inside, they adore me. They like the way I talk, walk, dress, and even the way I kill. They are just afraid to admit how much they love me. I am the Snow White Queen, strong enough that I don’t need anyone’s pity or love, because I am loved by the greatest and most majestic heart in the world:
Mine.
****************************
Wasn't that like INSANELY EPIC? Corn dog! I want to read them all so bad now! They sound like fantastic reads. Make sure you don't miss out on this opportunity. But don't worry if you can't. I've got another chance for you to get the series in KINDLE form...for Free! (99c difference can be alot you know...) This giveaway will go till 12.16. Don't miss out! You KNOW you want these books. So enter away!a Rafflecopter giveaway
That's it! You're in! WOO-HOO! I hope you win these epic books!
I'll be offering Snow White Sorrow for 0.99 the first day of its release. For those who are interested, they will have to subscribe or like my Facebook Page, so when I'll be announcing the release date, they will be the only ones who can purchase the 380 pages book for 0.99. The offer will be for only 24 hours.-Note from the Author-
***PSST! You guys want that! Double Reason to follow him!****
And that is all I have for you today! Thanks for stopping by this fabulous stop which is apart of the official Book Blitz hosted by the lovely Giselle and company.
I hope you all have a fantastical Wednesday!!! Sparkles and Pixie-Dust,
Friday, November 16, 2012
Welcome to the BOOK BLITZ, hosted by Bookish Brunette, for the awesome book "Miss Fortune Cookie." Look adorable? Read on to find out about it, add it to your shelves and read a special sneak peek!!
Miss Fortune Cookie
by Lauren Bjorkman
Published: 11.13.12 by Henry Holt
Pages: 288
Meet Erin. Smart student, great daughter, better friend. Secretly the mastermind behind the popular advice blog Miss Fortune Cookie. Totally unaware that her carefully constructed life is about to get crazy. It all begins when her ex-best friend sends a letter to her blog—and then acts on her advice. Erin’s efforts to undo the mess will plunge her into adventure, minor felonies, and possibly her very first romance. What’s a likely fortune for someone no longer completely in control of her fate? Hopefully nothing like: You will become a crispy noodle in the salad of life.
Want to get a look into this adorable little book? Read on!
Little Miss Chapter One
You will have much luck and little hardship.
Or the other way around.
CHAPTER 1
My friends and I were riding home from school on Muni, clinging to an assortment of slippery handholds, when Linny almost blew my secret identity. Intentionally.
“Listen to this one,” she said, reading off her iPhone, a faint but smirky glint in her eyes. “‘Dear Miss Fortune Cookie. My cousin thinks I’m chasing her boyfriend. Her boyfriend and I never flirt, but sometimes we text. What can I do to make her believe me? Just Friends.’”
In fact, I—Erin Kavanagh, alias Miss Fortune Cookie—had posted this very letter on my anonymous advice blog, and Linny happened to be the only person in San Francisco to know that, the only person in the whole world, except for some random administrator at WordPress. She takes every opportunity to harass me about keeping my blog a secret. “What advice would you give, Erin?” she asked, winking this time.
I kept my face as neutral as possible. Luckily Darren and Mei were only paying attention each other. As usual.
Personally speaking, I think nano-deceptions are a good thing. I regularly use them to protect my friends from unpleasant truths. Should I tell Linny that her favorite knit hat makes her head look like a furry meatball? Or nudge Mei whenever Darren winces at her hyena laugh? Should I have cautioned Darren that taking AP physics would wreck his grade-point average? Absolutely not. Sincere lies keep everyone happy.
I blew the hair out of my eyes. “The cousin will never stop suspecting the two of them,” I said to Linny, “so Just Friends has to stop the texting. She could get her own boyfriend. Or move to somewhere far away like Moldavia.”
Muni, a sort of bus powered by electric wires overhead, jerked to a halt. A seat opened up, and Linny took it. “Exactly!” She had the happiest smile ever, so big it barely fit on her face. Metaphorically speaking. “Mei, don’t you think Erin is a natural at giving advice?”
“Hmm?” Mei said. She was somewhat entwined with Darren and therefore distracted.
“Nothing.” I jabbed Linny in the ribs to get her to stop talking. Gently of course. The three of us—Mei, Linny, and me—made an enviable friendship trio. I was the lesser third, maybe because Mei and Linny were gorgeously Chinese-American, while I was just Boring-American. A Person of Irish.
Mei knew nothing about my connection to Miss Fortune Cookie. We used to be best friends, and by best friends I mean we spent every afternoon and weekend together until eighth grade, when things fell apart between us. The truth is, Mei dumped me. Then Linny brought us together again during freshman year, inviting us both to eat lunch with her, forming a little group. A few months later, I mustered the courage to bring up the dumping incident with Mei, except she didn’t want to talk about it. So we became friends again without dealing with the past. Pretty much.
Except I didn’t trust her like I used to.
And she didn’t share as many intimate details about herself with me.
Linny beckoned me closer to whisper in my ear. “I have a question for Miss Fortune Cookie. A very personal one. But you can’t tell Mei.”
“Why not?”
She lowered her voice more. “You just can’t, ’kay?”
I nodded. Linny usually let both of us in on every detail about her life, although lately she’d been secretive about her new boyfriend. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be boring. I turned my back toward Mei and said in my quietest voice, “Go ahead. I’m listening. What is it?”
Linny shook her head. “Not now.”
Just then, the Muni driver made the sharp turn into Chinatown, and three things happened almost simultaneously: a bicyclist veered into the road, the driver slammed on the brakes, and I fell into another passenger. We came to a halt fifty feet from the stop, and the bicyclist escaped unscathed. I could tell by the vigorous way he flipped off the driver. Then I caught sight of Mrs. Liu, bundled against the fog, among the passengers waiting to board.
“Your mom!” I whispered to Mei. “She’s getting on!”
Mei’s eyes widened. “What the what?”
Which demonstrates a problem with sincere lies—in this case, Mei’s lie to her mom about not having a boyfriend. They can be found out. Darren dropped his arm from around Mei’s waist and grabbed his backpack. “Bye,” he mouthed before zipping to the back and catapulting out the rear door. He’s considerate like that.
Mrs. Liu’s grocery bags thumped against the handrail as she marched up the steps. She has sharp, high cheekbones and is tall like her daughter. She and Mei both have blunt-cut hair that reaches their shoulders. Our favorite salon in Chinatown sometimes offers two-for-one specials.
Mei hurried to the front to take the two largest bags. “Ma, let me.”
Mrs. Liu stretched her swan neck toward the window. “Who is that with you?”
Mei shook her head nervously. “No one. Just Erin and Linny. I invited them to help with the turnip cakes.”
“No. I see boy before.” Mrs. Liu believed with every sinew in her heart that a boyfriend would distract Mei from her schoolwork, ruining her chances of getting into the number one university in the country, Harvard. So when Mei fell in love with Darren last spring, she kept it a secret from her mom. For thirteen whole months. Which showed amazing ingenuity and skill on her part, but once you start a lie, it’s hard to escape it.
“Who is boy?”
“Oh, him,” Mei said. “Someone from AP chem. We were discussing the homework. Chemical reactions.” She blinked fast. “And stuff like that.”
To be fair, most people have trouble lying to Mrs. Liu. Her eyes bore right through your skull and read your thoughts as if you accidentally uploaded them onto Facebook. It’s her superpower.
Linny stood up to offer her seat to Mrs. Liu. “Mr. F assigned loads of homework over the weekend. He wants us in top shape for the AP test.”
Mrs. Liu ignored the seat. She had just turned forty and didn’t appreciate the senior-citizen treatment. “Very good. Homework make you smart.”
“Ma, please sit down. Ni shi lao.” That means you are the elder, a show of respect. It also means you are old.
“I am comfortable,” Mrs. Liu said.
Mei continued arguing politely. Though most Chinese immigrants to San Francisco speak Cantonese, a dialect common in the south of China, Mrs. Liu emigrated from the north, where they speak Mandarin. I was fluent enough to follow their conversation.
“Ma, ni zuo.” Ma, just sit.
“Gaosu wo ta de mingzi.” Tell me his name.
Before they resolved anything, the driver pulled into the stop by Mrs. Liu’s restaurant, and we all got off. Hay Fat occupies a prominent street corner in Chinatown. Mrs. Liu’s heightened culinary sensibility has turned it into a legend, luring in the more adventurous tourists and fussy locals. She serves authentic dishes with ingredients such as fermented bean paste, whole fish with eyeballs intact, and lotus. Her menu also includes beef broccoli in case people with less sophisticated palates wander in by mistake.
We entered the kitchen through the alley. The dinner rush had yet to begin, which meant we had the place to ourselves. After setting me up with the grater and Mei with the bacon to steam, Mrs. Liu tossed a handful of sesame seeds into sizzling oil at the bottom of the wok. I closed my eyes to better appreciate the scrumptious smell.
“What should I do?” Linny asked. I looked at her appraisingly, wondering about her secret. Not that we could talk here in the kitchen.
Mrs. Liu handed her a bowl. “Cut mushrooms. Very small pieces.”
I consider Hay Fat my second home. Mom and Mrs. Liu met when Mei and I were in preschool and have been good friends ever since. We live one floor below them in an apartment a few blocks from here in a quieter part of Chinatown. Mrs. Liu has always welcomed me into her kitchen, even during that black year when Mei and I barely spoke.
What I know of her life before America comes through Mom. Twenty-three years ago, Mrs. Liu studied cooking at a special school in China that trains workers for American restaurants. After finishing the program, she immigrated to San Francisco, where she met Mei’s dad. He soon left her, and she has remained single ever since. Which could explain some of her gruffness.
“No lollygagging,” Mrs. Liu said. The cloth she wore over her hair fell askew, and my fingers itched to straighten it. I didn’t stop grating for a second, though, because sometimes when I slack off from a job she’s given me, she’ll pinch my arm. Not hard, but still.
Linny held out her cutting board for inspection. “Are these pieces small enough?”
Mrs. Liu took the board and tossed the mushrooms into the wok. “Almost. Watch. This is secret part. Very important. Not in recipe.”
Smoke rose from the hot metal. While Mrs. Liu stirred up a storm, I took the chance to rest my aching muscles. As I was standing there, I noticed that the photographs hanging over the sink had been dusted recently. One showed four-year-old Mei holding a pen and scroll, a minischolar. Next to it hung a picture of me dressed as a sunflower for our preschool play.
The turnip cakes were for a party next week, an event to celebrate Mei’s acceptance into Harvard. Mrs. Liu had planned it out a long time ago. I think she decided on which dishes to serve before Mei started high school. Last July, she bought boxes of scarlet and black decorations. She mailed the invitations a month ago. Harvard’s acceptance emails, though, wouldn’t go out until tomorrow, April 1, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Now Mei just had to get in.
The three of us attend Lowell, a high school for academic types—nerds in the best sense—a rare public school that students compete to get into. At Lowell, we have a popular crowd, hipsters, and partiers like everywhere else, but we worry more about SAT percentiles and college choices than our counterparts. For us, the first of April is bigger than the Academy Awards. Tomorrow, hopes would be mangled and dreams decapitated.
Mrs. Liu spun around to face Mei. “Meihua! That boy on bus. Shi bu shi boyfriend?”
Meihua blinked. “He’s not, Ma.”
Linny and I exchanged glances.
full denial = a lie of omission × 10 3
Mei’s sincere lie had gone bad, turned slimy and evil smelling like leftovers jammed to the back of the fridge behind the sauce jars.
“The stove!” Linny yelled.
Flames shot upward. Mrs. Liu calmly fetched a small broom and beat out the fire in three precise strokes. She’s efficient like that. “You are young. You cannot know love.”
Except Romeo and Juliet were young, and though Darren had not declared his devotion publicly from the alley or climbed a trellis to the window leading to Mei’s bedchamber, Romeo had nothing on him when it came to passion. I’d seen more of that than I cared to, in fact.
Mei laid the steamed bacon on a clean bamboo chopping block and commenced mincing it into molecule-sized bits. Mrs. Liu waved her spatula. “Harvard most important thing. Future more valuable than useless boy. You tell me, Erin. Who is boy?”
My hand flew across the grater, and the mound of turnips grew. “The boy on Muni?”
Mrs. Liu growled with exasperation. “The Master say give elder no reason for anxiety.”
Mei ducked her head. “You’re right, Ma.”
“I am not right,” Mrs. Liu barked. “The Master is right.” By the Master, she meant Confucius, the spiritual grandfather of China, born more than five hundred years before Jesus. Arguing against the Master would be futile. The main dinner chef arrived, and Mrs. Liu dismissed us. “Skedaddle. Do homework. Good-bye.”
Grateful for the reprieve, I slipped out of my apron. Mei planted her feet by the stove and lifted her chin. She looked exactly like she used to long ago when we shoved cooked rice and fruit under the stove to feed the hungry ghost that lived there: scared but determined. She turned to Linny and me. “I’m staying to help Ma. Wait for me.”
Which meant Linny and I would get a little time alone and she could finally tell me what she started to say on Muni.
About Lauren Bjorkman
I am the author of two YA novels, MY INVENTED LIFE and MISS FORTUNE COOKIE. I also contributed a short story to the anthology THE FIRST TIME. Though I grew up on a sail boat and loved traveling the world as a kid, I'm still afraid of the ocean. I much prefer other modes of transportation these days--plane, train, or car. Walking is best.
I love books with multi-faceted, intriguing characters. The best one make me laugh, cry, and turn the pages long past my bed time. When I'm not reading or writing, I spend time with family and friends, talking about everything under the sun. Add in some good food to the mix, top it off with chocolate, and I'm truly happy.
I love books with multi-faceted, intriguing characters. The best one make me laugh, cry, and turn the pages long past my bed time. When I'm not reading or writing, I spend time with family and friends, talking about everything under the sun. Add in some good food to the mix, top it off with chocolate, and I'm truly happy.
So! What do you think? Sound adorable right? Does this make you eager to get your hands on a copy? Have you read this already? What did you think! Splurge your thoughts darlings! What's your fortune? Happy Saturday! XOXO,
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